Agnes, or, Beauty and Pleasure — page 45: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

et eee eee AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE 37 and invigorating than if she threw herself with all her clothes on upon the couch and so s-ept for hours. She was indeed greatly exhausted: her mind had been harassed as much as her frame was wearied; and thus mentally and physically she stood in need of repose. Confident that the suiie of apartments was secured against all danger—or at least suspecting not the existence of any secret means of access thereto—Ciprina yielded to the influence of slumber; and in a few minutes sleep weighed down her eyelids. It was about one o’clock in the morning, when the secret door in the wainscot of the ante- chamber opened upon its noiseless hinges; and the Marchioness of Mirano appeared upon the threshold. Her golden auburn hair was all float- ing in wild disorder over her shoulders of snowy whiteness; and there wasa sinister light in her blue eyes—a dead pallor upon her countenance— an ashy whiteness upon the lips, whieh were not however compressed, but were somewhat apart, thus indicating the suspenseful anxiety of her mind lest she should experience any interruption ghost. Then from beneath the folds of her gar- in the work which she had in hand. And between ments she drew forth a small phial; and she poured two or three drops of its contents into the | tumbler. Whether it were that she fancied that she had poured out too much and that the beve- | rage might become turbid with the effect of those few drops—or whether it were to estimate that | | she had poured sufficient in proportion with the liquid that was previously in the glass—we cannot precisely say. Certain however it was that the Marchioness took up the tumbler and was about to hold it closer to the light, when at that moment she caught sight of the eyes of Lucrezia Borgia looking down upon her from the canvass suspended to the wall. Lucrezia di Mirano started with sudden horror and effright ; for little indeed had she expected to encounter the portrait there! She had not even recollected her urgent request of the preceding night that Ciprina would remove that portrait from the picture-gallery! And now she not only started, but acry rose up to the very | edge of her lips—to the very tip of her tongue,— and it was a marvel that she was epabled to catch it back, as it were, ere it pealed forth. Yet in this she succeeded: for all in a moment she felt a keen vivid sense of the predicament in which she was placed. : That start however was sufficient to arouse Ciprina into completest wakefulness: she opened her eyes— but she closed them again as quick as the lids themselves could twinkle; for she beheld and recognised the Marchioness! And here, on Ciprina’s part, was an evidence of self- possession momentarily asserted, as great as that which almost at the same instant enabled tho Marchioness to keep back the scream which had risen to the very brim of her lips. Notwithstanding the immensity of the impres- | sion made upon the mind of Lucresgia Mirano by | finding herself suddenly confronted as it were by the portrait of Lucrezia Borgia, she quickly re- covered her fortitude: and it was with a deep concentrated bitterness of soul that she mentally ejaculated, “ Ah! if it indeed be my destiny to follow that which was thine, O my prototype! it shall be accomplished! Perish every other con- sideration than that of sweeping all obstacles from my path !” And while these terrible and wild ideas were sweeping through Lucrezia Mirano’s mind, she flung a look upon Ciprina: but this young lady still seemed sleeping profoundly. Having replaced the tumbler upon the table, the Marchioness poured a few drops from the phial into the decanter of water which stood upon the toilet-table ; and then | she again glanced towards the couch to assure her- | | | | those ashy lips gleamed those teeth the vivid whiteness of which, at other times so exquisite an accessory to the lady’s beauty, now rendered her countenance all the more ghastly in its expres- sion. Slowly did that secret door open; and Lucrezia Mirano, placing the lamp which she carried in a niche in the passage-wall, peeped cautiously into the ante-chamber. No one was there. A second glance showed her that the door leading into the boudoir stood ajar. With noiseless steps she crossed the ante-chamber—she approached that door—she peeped into the adjoining apartment— and this was also unoccupied. Fer several mi- nutes the Marchioness listened: all was still inthe chambers that lay beyond: no sound of a human voice met her ears. She traversed the boudoir; and now she began very gently and cautiously to push open the door (which had likewise stood ajar) of the adjoining chamber. When it was opened sufficiently wide enough for the Marchioness to look into that room, she beheld Ciprina lying in the bed, with her eyelids closed, and her respira- tion indicating that she slept. A smile of fiendish satisfaction now appeared on the countenance of the Marchioness; her lips wavered for a moment —it was because she was murmuring to herself, * Everything is favourable!” But still she remained standing for three or four minutes at the doorway to assure herself that Ciprina slept. A lamp was burning upona table: and the Marchioness kept her eyes riveted upon the young lady. The light of that lamp was shed fully upon Ciprina’s countenance, which remained placid and tranquil as is the case when one is sleeping serenely. Her bosom was bare; one beautiful hand Jay upon the glowing bust; and the arm being likewise bare, revealed its exquisite modelling. The entire posture was that of the{ At the same moment Ciprina was saying to her complete self-abandonment of slumber; and no] own self, “ It is not with the dagger the wretched doubt was left in the mind of the Marchioness but | murderess is now working!—it is with subtle that Ciprina slept. poison! I will remain silent and tranquil, that I There was a tumbler half-filled with some re-| may the better fathom all her proceedings !” freshing beverage on the table near Ciprina’s bed: |} Being thus confident that no deed of violence and towards that table did the Marchioness di Mi- | was meditated immediately and at once against rano now slowly advance, gliding noiseless aaa! Edgar Marcellin, Ciprina was not very much ¢ self that Ciprina slept. Still confident on this point, the Marchioness now peeped into the adja- cent room ; and there she beheld Edgar Marcellin stretched in the bed that was there; and she mur- mured to herself, “ He likewise is sleeping pro- foundly !” ’ — ee Comicbooksneo 5}